Disney

Underneath this mashed-up photo is a comedian and actress who's all about the "girl code," and back in 2018 ... you may have seen her hosting an 'SNL' episode! Grab your shiniest snarfblatt and see if you can play with this unknown star!

Somewhere above the sea, this girl has cracked many knee-slappers in her day like playing Rachel Chu's bestie, and while she may not be the tallest gal on the block, she sure is mighty ... just ask her 'Jumanji' costar Dwayne Johnson.

Can you say "farewell" to this scrambled face before they go after the sea witch?

Halle Bailey's 'Little Mermaid' got tons of backlash when it was first announced, but now that it's out -- it seems folks are more curious than angry ... 'cause they're flocking to see it.

Disney's latest live-action adaptation hit theaters this weekend -- a 4-day one at that -- and so far, 'TLM' is cleaning up in ticket sales ... projected to land on a record-setting box office haul, with an estimated $120 mil-$130 mil to its name by the time Monday rolls around.

Some analysts have the film pegged to make more than $130MM -- but Disney's hedging their bets, saying it'll probably be closer to $125 MM domestically. Overseas, the movie is said to likely draw an additional $80 mil ... so it could hit around $200 mil soon enough.

That's great for the Mouse House, as this movie reportedly had a budget of about $250 million -- so they need this one to continue doing numbers for a bit to turn a profit.

While there's certainly excitement for the debut weekend, time will tell if Ariel has legs to go the distance in the weeks thereafter. As we reported, "Aladdin" star Mena Massoud recently opined he didn't think it'd hit a billion like his movie did ... which came out pre-pandemic.

Funny enough, with these estimated figures, 'Mermaid' is actually on pace to overtake what "Aladdin" achieved in 2019 -- and it's on a new list of Memorial Day weekend titans. If all goes according to plan, 'TLM' should sit at fourth behind "Top Gun: Maverick," "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End," and "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."

Ariel the mermaid just pounded real-life Aladdin into submission -- or, more accurately, her fans did ... this after the dude juxtaposed his flick with hers, which pissed a lot of people off.

Mena Massoud -- who played everyone's favorite street rat in the 2019 live-action adaptation -- just scrubbed his Twitter account due to a mountain of backlash he received Saturday for chiming in on the future box office prospects of Halle Bailey's new 'Little Mermaid' movie.

He was responding to an account that was reporting on how much 'TLM' was slated to make in its opening weekend -- about $115M, which it then compared to the $112M 'Aladdin' made in its opening weekend run. Mena had some thoughts on that ... some took it as shade.

MM wrote, "Our film was unique in that audiences went to watch it multiple times. It's the only way we reached the billion dollar mark with our opening." "Aladdin" went on to make $1.054 bil internationally ... and its initial box office numbers were considered a big win.

Then came a remark that got Mena attacked. He followed up and said, "My guess is TLM doesn't cross the billion mark but will undoubtedly get a sequel." Unclear if he followed that up with any clarification on what he meant -- but this alone got Halle fans up in arms.

You can hop into the "Aladdin" trend yourself and see what they're saying ... but basically, the reaction wasn't good. Some felt Mena's comment here was a cheap shot and suggesting 'Little Mermaid' wasn't actually worthy of any future success, including a possible sequel.

Others are also saying that Mena sounds a little salty over the fact that he hasn't been cast in much post-"Aladdin" -- and that he's still hung up on the criticism that movie received ... and there was a lot. Bottom line ... he was getting dragged through the coals over this.

As a result, Mena appears to have deleted his account. The OG Twitter comment is gone, and his page is inaccessible now ... so it seems the discourse may have gotten to him.

Part of the reason for this fierce response to his apparent slight might have to do with the fact that 'TLM' has been in the crosshairs of haters from day one ... ever since they announced Halle, a Black woman, would be cast -- which got a ton of flak in and of itself.

People are coalescing around this movie and hoping it does numbers, because of the larger implications -- namely, more POC getting cast in iconic roles ... and a shift in Hollywood.

Offset was on dad duty Monday with his 2 little girls -- he took them to the world premiere of the live-action 'Little Mermaid' movie ... and everyone was looking like Disney royalty.

The ex-Migos rapper made it to the debut screening of the highly-anticipated flick -- which stars Halle Bailey as Ariel -- in Los Angeles ... where he and his daughter -- 8-year-old Kalea and 4-year-old Kulture -- walked the blue carpet as they were headed into the theater.

Their outfits were on point/on theme ... Offset was dressed to the nines, wearing an ensemble that strongly resembled what Prince Eric wears in the animated flick -- complete with a white jacket, black pants and shiny matching boots. His kids were even cuter.

Kalea and Kulture each donned gorgeous mini gowns and tiaras, looking like they were being taken to the ball that Cinderella went to in the fairy tale. Kalea even had her hair dyed red, just like Ariel does in the cartoon and just like Halle in the live-action film. It's clear the family was excited to see this one on the big screen -- and probably for good reason too.

As you may know ... Halle being cast as Ariel -- who's portrayed as white in the OG -- was a big deal in the African-American community ... serving as a crucial point of representation that hadn't really been seen before. Little Black girls everywhere reacted to the trailer when it came out ... and they all pretty much seemed to be in awe that Ariel looked like them.

Of course, there's been some backlash as well ... some of which, you could argue, is steeped in racism. No matter though -- the film's still coming out ... and it's a big deal.

No sign of Cardi here, which is fine. Looks like this was a dad-daughter date that Offset was more than happy to handle on his own -- and he certainly stepped up to the plate.

As Jonathan Majors continues to fight his DV case, it appears the internet has already settled on a possible replacement in the MCU ... another bad guy in a new superhero movie.

We're talking about Chukwudi Iwuji -- who made a splash this weekend in the third 'Guardians of the Galaxy' flick as the big bad, the High Evolutionary ... and who left audiences and comic book fans more than impressed with his epic performance.

While HE meets his grisly demise in the end (spoiler) ... a lot of folks on the bird app are nominating Iwuji as the next would-be Kang the Conqueror if things go south for JM.

There's chatter about how Iwuji's take on his supervillain is how Kang should've been portrayed in the 'Ant-Man' film that recently featured him ... namely, over the top and downright ruthless -- which is certainly how Iwuji's High Evolutionary comes across.

As the comparisons continue to fly ... a good handful of Twitter users are also straight-up saying Iwuji should be considered to step in as Kang if Disney decides to ultimately drop Majors -- which they have not done yet, and which may be premature at this point.

This "what if" speculation seems to be a mix of praise for Iwuji and jumping the gun on Majors' MCU future. Frankly, ever since he was arrested -- a lot of names have been floated as possible stand-ins ... but now, it would seem Iwuji's at the front of the line in fans' eyes.

Again ... there's been no indication from Disney that they're considering cutting Majors loose just yet -- despite the fact that he's been dropped from other projects and organizations.

As we've reported ... his team has repeatedly denied he did anything wrong from the beginning and has even suggested he was the victim here -- while also claiming to have evidence that they say will exonerate him. We've seen surveillance footage of the woman in question out partying after the alleged incident ... and she appears to be fine/uninjured.

Of course, he'll have his day in court soon enough. The guy's scheduled to appear before a judge on Tuesday -- where his team will undoubtedly push for the charges to be dropped.

Like everyone else, we're sure Disney will be monitoring ... as Majors is a key figure in their Marvel plans, with scheduled appearances in several more films and TV shows as Kang.

Da Brat's wife Jesseca Dupart is attacking the notion they intentionally chose a non-Black sperm donor for their upcoming baby ... and her explanation is pretty in-depth.

On Wednesday, Jesseca came through with a boatload of receipts and broke the whole thing down. The couple recently conducted an interview where they openly admitted their baby's donor wasn't Black after realizing they had limited choices in the gene pool.

Brat also quipped one of the donors looked like Pinocchio's pal Jiminy Cricket.

So, yeah ... you can see how that got lumped into all the donors being cricket-faced killas!!!

Jesseca revealed her existing medical conditions also cut down her chances of carrying a healthy baby, and noted the lack of Black donors in general.

She even cited a Fox5 NY article from March that reports Black men make up less than 2% of sperm donors nationwide!!!

After weighing their options, Jesseca says she and Brat went with the best match, regardless of race.

A woman got so turned on by a performance from the Los Angeles Philharmonic that she had a "loud and full body orgasm" right there in her seat ... at least according to a new report.

The L.A. Times reported what went down during Friday's X-rated show! The concertgoer was watching the Philharmonic crank out Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, when she apparently became sexually aroused.

One witness seated near the woman told The Times ..."I saw the girl after it had happened, and I assume that she ... had an orgasm because she was heavily breathing, and her partner was smiling and looking at her — like in an effort to not shame her. It was quite beautiful.”

Another attendee tweeted the woman was having a “loud and full body orgasm" to the sounds of the music, and the band carried on.

A third person said the woman's apparent moment of pleasure was “wonderfully timed” to a “romantic swell” in the melodies. He added, “One can’t know exactly what happened, but it seemed very clear from the sound that it was an expression of pure physical joy."

More evidence of the climactic moment surfaced online in an audio clip. You hear someone in the throes of a loud orgasm as the symphony plays the 5th's second movement.

But, one concertgoer poured cold water on the orgasm theory. The witness took to Twitter, claiming that the woman had a "breakdown of some sort" and everyone in the packed crowd was "worried it was a medical emergency."

The Times was unable to ID or locate the woman in question to get her side of the story and the L.A. Philharmonic has yet to comment on the incident.

Disney is escalating its beef with Ron DeSantis ... it's now suing Florida's Governor for what Disney claims is a targeted campaign of retaliation, and one that's hurting the company's bottom line.

The Walt Disney Co. filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against DeSantis, ripping the Republican presidential hopeful as being "patently retaliatory, anti-business, and patently unconstitutional."

In the suit, Disney claims DeSantis is waging a "relentless campaign to weaponize government power" to punish Disney's political views ... with Disney saying the Governor's actions are now threatening its business, jeopardizing its economic future in Florida and violating its constitutional rights.

Disney says it regrets having to sue DeSantis, but the company says he gave them no choice ... pointing out DeSantis recently talked publicly about wanting to tax the hell out of Disney and build a state prison next to Walt Disney World.

In the suit, Disney says it's being "forced to defend itself against a State weaponizing its power to inflict political punishment" ... with Disney claiming DeSantis is orchestrating a retaliation campaign against the company simply because Disney "expressed an opinion with which the government disagreed."

Although the suit references the "government" in several places, Disney is not suing the state of Florida.

Remember ... the beef started when Disney came out in opposition to Florida's "Don't Say Gay" legislation, which DeSantis has championed. DeSantis then started targeting Disney's special tax district, which has essentially allowed Disney to self-govern in Florida since the 1960s.

Disney says the lawsuit is a response to DeSantis' hand-picked board of supervisors moving to undo a recent development deal Disney struck to strip the board's power over WDW.

Casey Anthony hanging out in the kids' toy section at Disney World sure is a strange sight to see -- but that's exactly what you got here as she continues her trip at the house of mouse.

The formerly acquitted defendant -- who was on trial in Florida over a decade ago for the murder of her daughter -- was spotted again Friday at the Happiest Place on Earth ... only this time, she seemed interested in the plush doll options that the Mouse House had to offer.

We're told these photos were taken inside one of the general merchandise stores within Downtown Disney Springs ... and, as you can see, she's perusing and browsing the toys.

Granted, just about everything inside this store is child-friendly -- but still ... it's a little jarring considering her history with her own late daughter, Caylee -- who was found dead in 2008 not far from here, which became the center of a massively publicized trial against her mom.

Like we said ... Casey was found not guilty of any of the serious charges pertaining to Caylee's death. She was only found guilty of lying to the police at the time -- and got off on everything else. And yet, she still has that stench hovering around here ... just like O.J.

Anyhoo ... Casey ventured elsewhere at Disney World this weekend, including to the Epcot Center where eyewitnesses saw her in the Japan area. Epcot breaks up its sections into worldly corners, and this photo of Casey suggests she knew people recognized her.

As we reported ... Casey appears to be there with at least two other women who are tagging along, and there's been no indication she's trying to maintain a low profile whatsoever.

Of course, that's her prerogative ... but she's also gotta realize people are probably going to do double takes if they notice her, and Disney-goers undoubtedly have. Nevertheless, CA seems to be relatively unbothered and is carrying on with her business like nothing happened.

Folks at Disneyland got extra Saturday night, as they watched parts of Tom Sawyer Island go up in flames.

It went down as park-goers were enjoying the Fantasmic light show on Tom Sawyer Island  ... suddenly, the head of the 45-foot-tall animatronic dragon erupted into a fireball and the flames began to spread.

Cast members were at the ready and quickly evacuated around 1,000 people from the area around Frontierland. No one was hurt, but there was clearly extensive property damage.

The fire started toward the end of the show, when Mickey Mouse was fighting the fire-breathing dragon, Maleficent. The fire breath engulfed the dragon's head and then spread to the rest of its body.

And this is interesting -- the way it was extinguished. The staff turned on a water feature that was part of the show and it doused the flames, and the crowd cheered.

Casey Anthony is feeling the magic at Mickey's kingdom, which just so happens to be down the street from where she was once accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter.

The formerly accused, but acquitted defendant was spotted Friday in Orlando ... as she checked in to one of the Walt Disney World hotels.

It looks like Casey's going to spend the weekend enjoying all WDW has to offer ... and she doesn't have to worry about pushing strollers or keeping kids entertained at the Mouse House, because "Tot Mom" is rolling with an adult friend.

Hotel guests tell TMZ ... Casey checked in with a blonde woman and didn't seem to be trying to keep a low profile, openly walking around the lobby with her luggage in tow.

We haven't seen Casey since she was back in the spotlight at the end of 2022, when her controversial documentary, "Casey Anthony: Where the Truth Lies" was released.

You won't find that doc on Disney+, though ... it's a Peacock production.

Of course, Casey's got deep ties to Orlando ... that's where she lived in June 2008, when her 2-year-old daughter Caylee was reported missing.

Caylee's skeletal remains were ultimately found a few months later in a wooded area near the Anthony family's, and Casey was arrested and charged with first-degree murder.

She pleaded not guilty and stood trial in 2011, with the jury acquitting her of murder, manslaughter and child abuse. She was only found guilty of lying to cops.

Simone Joy Jones has her eye on the lead in Disney's live-action version of "The Princess and the Frog," and while she's hoping she scores the role ... she also says any Black woman would be iconic.

We caught up with the "Bel-Air" star and had to ask about her hopes for the remake ... after she posted her very own submission for the highly sought-after role of Princess Tiana.

Simone acknowledged she's up against many talented actresses -- including some of her "Bel-Air" costars -- and says every person auditioning for the role would bring something different. A diplomatic response, for sure, but don't get it twisted ... she's totally confident she'd be a fun fit.

Either way, Simone says she's going to watch the film, pointing to the impact of seeing a live-action Black Disney princess. As she put it, "It always changes the ecosystem of the culture when you see a Black girl being her everything."

BTW, she also gave her stamp of approval on a Princess Tiana-related change coming to Disneyland and Disney World!

Jeremy Renner continues to make a miraculous recovery from his near-death snowplow accident -- he strolled into Jimmy Kimmel's studio, fully on his own power.

The 'Avengers' star was using only a cane Monday in Hollywood, as he headed into the studio to shoot his appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

It's pretty incredible to see Jeremy using his legs like this ... remember he's only a little over 3 months removed from being completely crushed by a snowplow on New Year's Day at his Nevada home.

Jeremy's injuries included more than 30 broken bones, plus a collapsed lung and punctured lung ... just to name a few.

When he took his family to Six Flags on Good Friday, he needed a motorized scooter to get around the amusement park ... and we've previously seen him using an anti-gravity treadmill to strengthen his legs and get those muscles working again.

Jeremy's continuing his media blitz now that he's recovering at his L.A. home.

Before going on Kimmel, he described the enormity of his injuries and pain during a special interview with Diane Sawyer, which included a bone-chilling animation showing how he was hurt.

It seems some 'Star Wars' diehards can't deal with Lizzo and Jack Black's cameos on 'The Mandalorian'  ... 'cause they're calling their appearances the death of the franchise. Yeesh ...

Here's the deal ... the 2 A-listers popped up on last week's episode of the hit Disney+ show, and it ruffled some feathers in the 'Star Wars' fanbase. Some thought the series, and the IP as a whole, had jumped the shark ... and that the magic of 'SW' was over and done with.

That sentiment came to a fever pitch this weekend with one dude's now-viral tweet ... which has spurred a lot of discourse about who, exactly, 'Star Wars' was made for in its original iteration ... and what it's come to represent now. Check out how this fella put it.

The Twitter user writes, "#StarWars isn't for us nerds anymore. We who respect the lore & would be in tears after being cast in one of the movies or shows. Star Wars is now for the popular kids who giggled & high-fived the bullies for stuffing you in your locker."

He adds with some doom and gloom, "It's crashing and #Disney deserves it." Jesus, dude!

The fanboy's thoughts were quite divisive on the bird app, with many responding to his tweet with confusion and shock. Basically, they feel like he's overreacting -- and that 'Star Wars' can (and should) be for everyone ... not just the locker-dwellers from the '70s and '80s.

While many tried shutting this guy down/laughing him off, there's a lot of folks who actually agree with him -- claiming Disney's just out for big names and brands ... and that 'Star Wars' has devolved into a soulless money grab. The Mouse House is definitely out for cash, no doubt, but ya gotta figure they have the best intentions with hires like Lizzo and JB.

Of course, the opinion of an OG goes a long way too ... Billy Dee Williams weighed in on this, and he's cool with Jack and Liz being in the family. That's gotta count for something.

Lizzo and Jack Black's cameos in the latest episode of "The Mandalorian" is a casting choice 'Star Wars' icon Billy Dee Williams can get behind -- and he gives us his thoughts as to why the team picked them for the series.

ICYMI, spoilers -- Lizzo and Jack can be found in Episode 6 of the Disney+ series' third season ... appearing in a scene as the queen and king of Plazir-15. And, of course, people went nuts.

Billy tells us he's backing the choice wholeheartedly -- pointing out how franchises are always coming up with new ways to grab a younger audience.

He sees it as good business and understands what the crew was thinking with Lizzo and Jack, even if die-hard fans of the series are the ones marking it as a dumb move.

It's debatable, but some online think the two just aren't believable in the 'Star Wars' universe ... because of how recognizable they are. The franchise has had a slew of cameos in the past, but some fans seem to have had enough -- looks like Billy sure hasn't.

BTW -- Christopher Lloyd also popped up in the same episode, but people weren't as concerned with an unscheduled visit from Doc.

Conor McGregor put down the UFC gloves and threw on his Dad hat Wednesday ... taking his fiancee and kids out to Disney World for a family outing -- and it was cute as hell!!

Check out photos we obtained of The Notorious and his partner, Dee Devlin, inside of Animal Kingdom in Florida ... he showed he truly does have a softer side, pushing his kids around in strollers -- while snagging them gifts all over the park.

You can see in some of the images, he got an Avatar-themed spear for his little ones ... and even appeared to get an Avatar tail for one of the munchkins, too.

No mouse ears for McGregor -- he opted for a cap promoting his beer -- but Devlin was in the spirit, rockin' a Minnie hat.

Witnesses tell us McGregor, who had security in tow for the trip, was in a great mood -- as was Dee, who was all smiles.

Of course, McGregor is known to be a huge fan of the Mouse ... he was spotted at Disneyland back in 2020, cheesin' in a Donald Duck hat.